Author: Devon Herrick

Some Medicare Hospice Care Firms Are Better than Others

Posted on by Devon Herrick

We have written about Medicare hospice care several times in the past. John Goodman wrote about a new Medicare pilot program where the same health plans that manage seniors’ medical care will also manage their hospice benefits near end-of-life. I wrote about how Medicare hospice care is growing by leaps and bounds, which is attracting scammers who enroll ineligible patients (not likely to die in six months) and gouge taxpayers for care that is inappropriate.

The New York Times published an article on the difference in hospice care provided by nonprofit versus for-profit organizations. Purportedly, nonprofit organizations are a better value.

+

Covid Grifters: Covid Relief Fraud Much Worse than Initially Thought

Posted on by Devon Herrick

Covid-19 relief aid was the greatest opportunity for graft in the nation’s history. The Associated Press called it The Great Grift, saying:

Fraudsters used the Social Security numbers of dead people and federal prisoners to get unemployment checks. Cheaters collected those benefits in multiple states. And federal loan applicants weren’t cross-checked against a Treasury Department database that would have raised red flags about sketchy borrowers.

Criminals and gangs grabbed the money. But so did a U.S. soldier in Georgia, the pastors of a defunct church in Texas, a former state lawmaker in Missouri and a roofing contractor in Montana.

All of it led to the greatest grift in U.S. history, with thieves plundering billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief aid intended to combat the worst pandemic in a century and to stabilize an economy in free fall.

+

Low Cost Dentistry is Possible, But Not Allowed in Most States

Posted on by Devon Herrick

I went to my dentist a month or two ago. I was shocked by the price for a deep teeth cleaning. A teeth cleaning is included with an annual membership and the deep cleaning is an upcharge from the basic cleaning. I suspect my dentists requires a deep cleaning as a way to charge as much for my free service as the service usually costs retail. I’m in and out of his office in less than 30 minutes usually.

At my last visit the annual membership fee was also due, so my total bill was enough to buy an iPhone 11 on eBay. I don’t think I even spoke to the dentist during the visit; I just met with the dental hygienist. Why was the price so high?

+

Do Cash Payments Lower Death Rates? (The Left Says “Yes” but They’re Probably Wrong)

Posted on by Devon Herrick

A popular idea among progressives on the left is a universal basic income (UBI). Supposedly, UBI is magic. It involves giving cash transfers to everyone without strings attached. According to scholars at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill:

The goals really differ, depending on the policymaker but also on who’s proposing it. I think for a lot of folks on the left, they see it as more a platform to build your life on. So it’s going to be there for you when you when you need it.

+